1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a remotely-controllable circuit breaker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, circuit breakers are widely used for protecting and controlling electrical power transmission networks. As shown in FIG. 1, a circuit breaker in the prior art comprises a firewire input end 032 and a firewire output end 037 connected to electric lines; an operating portion, comprising a lever 021 having an operating end disposed outside a housing 001 and operating to switch on or off a circuit; a first movable contact 024 having a first movable contact point 025 disposed on one end thereof; a linkage control block 022 comprising multiple linkage parts and rotating with respect to a shaft in the housing 001, one end of the uppermost linkage part 0221 being connected to the lever 021, and one end of the lowest linkage part 0222 being connected to the front end 023 of the first movable contact; and a static contact point 031 connected to the firewire input end 032. As the lever 021 rotates, the linkage control block 022 forces the first movable contact 024 to move, thereby implementing attachment and detachment between the first movable contact point 025 and the static contact point 031, and thus switch-on and switch-off of the electric lines. The circuit breaker further comprises an arc extinguishing portion and an overcurrent protecting portion 051. The arc extinguishing portion operates to prevent an electric arc from damaging the circuit breaker, and comprises a metal plate 033 and an arc-extinguishing cover 035. The metal plate 033 is connected to the static contact point 031 and extends to the bottom of the housing 001. The arc-extinguishing cover 035 corresponds to the static contact point 031. The overcurrent protecting portion 051 is an electromagnetic release disposed below the operating portion. One end of the overcurrent protecting portion 051 is connected to the removable contact, with its other end connected to one end of the linkage part 052. The other end of the linkage part 052 is connected to the linkage control block 022. As over current occurs on the electric lines, the first movable contact point is separated from the static contact point, thereby disconnecting the loads from the electric lines.
However, there are several un-neglectable problems with the existing circuit breaker: first, the circuit breaker cannot be remotely controlled; if a load is to be disconnected from the electric lines for any reason (such as an unpaid bill) via the circuit breaker, an operator needs to go to the site and solve the problem, which reduces operational efficiency. Second, after long-term use, adhesion occurs between the first movable contact point and the static contact point, which reduces the safety of the circuit breaker. Third, when a power failure occurs, users cannot determine whether the circuit breaker failed and often blindly repair the circuit breaker, which reduces the safety. Finally, if the circuit breaker fails, no clear indication is given to the users, which makes it impossible to reset the circuit breaker in a timely manner and use electricity normally.